The Knowing: Jamie's Story
by M C Pehrson
Summary: Story #54 Following the Great Quake, Spock's son James becomes angry when he thinks his sister Teresa is getting special treatment. This is the second of two "Knowing" stories dealing with the same events as seen from different viewpoints. This is not simply a repeat, but contains many new scenes. Here you will find out what James really wrote in his notebook before he changed it.


_**Note: The notebook sequences in this story were written by my young grandson, Noah Moody**. _

Jamie awoke screaming. Something horrible was touching him.

"James," spoke a deep, familiar voice. "James."

The last scream died in his throat. Breathing hard, he found his bedroom softly lit and a man in a bathrobe leaning over him.

"Father," he said, glad that Spock was there, but also a little embarrassed.

"Another bad dream?" Father asked.

Jamie nodded.

"Monsters again?"

"Uh-huh." Jamie was quick to add, "But I know there aren't really any monsters."

"Indeed." Spock straightened and looked down at him kindly. "I think you will be alright now."

"I think so, too," Jamie said, hoping it was true.

Father turned out the light and left. Jamie lay awake in the dark, remembering how it had been in that other darkness after the earthquake, when the old house collapsed on him. Reaching down, he pulled the covers over his head. It was too warm underneath, but it made him feel a little safer, and after a while he fell asleep.

In the morning Jamie dressed and came down the hallway. As he was passing his sister's door, he heard her inside, talking softly to someone. He could hear Mom and his father downstairs, so he knew it was neither of them.

Stopping, he put his pointed ear to the door. Teresa talked again, but he could not quite make out the words. Thinking that she was talking to a doll, he laughed to himself and decided to tease her about it. Very quietly he eased the door open and peeked into her bedroom. She was standing in front of her closet, staring inside. She was whispering.

Something about it made Jamie uneasy. "Resa," he said in a normal voice, but here it sounded much too loud. "Who are you talking to?"

Teresa jumped. Turning around, she looked at him, wide-eyed. "Nobody."

"If there's nobody, then why were you talking?"

She was quiet for a minute, thinking. Then she said, "Promise you won't tell?"

"Okay," he said quickly.

"Not Mom. Not Daddy. Not anyone."

 _"Okay,"_ he repeated, not even teasing her for calling their father a silly thing like Daddy.

She crooked her finger at him. "Shut the door then. Come here."

He did what she asked. When he was standing right beside her, she whispered, "There's a hole in the bottom of my closet." Had the floor caved in? But as he turned to look, Teresa caught hold of his arm and said, "A boy lives down there."

This wasn't funny. Pulling away from her, Jamie said, "You're just trying to scare me…and it's not working." But deep down, he knew that she _was_ scaring him—a lot. "Quit it or I'm going to tell Mom."

"But Jamie, you promised!"

"It's not right to lie," he told her. They might be the same age, but he was her brother and felt an obligation to keep her out of this latest form of trouble.

It was for this reason that Jamie spoke up at the breakfast table.

Halfway through his cereal he announced, "Teresa says she has a hole in her closet. She goes in there and talks to people. I heard her."

The hurt look on Teresa's face made him almost regret his words. He did not like breaking a promise. He did not want her to be scolded, either. He was glad when Mom just questioned her gently. Father said nothing at all about it.

oooo

Later that day, the house began to tremble. _Aftershock!_ Jamie's heart pounded. He started to run downstairs, then paused and flung open Teresa's door.

"Come on!" he urged.

She was sitting on the floor in front of the closet. Just sitting here, ignoring him and the earthquake. The shaking stopped, but Jamie ran downstairs anyway. His parents were standing in the living room, holding one another. They saw him and moved apart.

Mom asked, "Where's Teresa?"

"In her bedroom," he told her, "back in the closet."

Mom went upstairs, slowly like always, because of her leg brace. After a while she called down to Father and they were both in Teresa's bedroom for so long that Jamie went up and listened at the door. He heard Teresa tell them a pack of lies about a boy named Robby, and knew that she was really in trouble now. But Mom did not get angry, and neither did Father.

Jamie did not understand. He would have been punished for lying. Why wasn't Teresa?

oooo

Saturday night, Jamie had another bad dream. Mom came into the room. He was already awake, and they sat for a while with her arm around him. Together, they recited the prayer that she always used for nightmares.

 **Lord of Heaven, as I sleep,**

 **Let my dreams be pure and sweet.**

 **Bless those who are dear to me,**

 **And keep us ever close to Thee.**

Jamie wanted to ask her about Teresa, but instead he kept quiet. He wondered why his sister could make up big lies and not get into trouble. It just didn't seem right.

After Mass the next morning, they sat down for lunch. Father's young Vulcan friend, Sobek, was there. Before long, Mom noticed that Teresa was just picking at her food.

"Teresa," she said gently," what's wrong? Don't you feel good?"

Teresa took a moment to answer. "I'm not very hungry," she said. "Robby gave me a big Honeycrisp apple from a tree in his yard."

Shocked, Jamie said, "That's not true! It's a sin to lie! Isn't that so, Father?"

Teresa began to cry. "I am _not_ lying! I'm not!"

Just then, a little earthquake rattled the windows. It was almost as if God Himself was telling everyone that Teresa was lying. But no one did anything about it.

After lunch, Mom took Jamie upstairs, into her bedroom. In a stern voice she said, "I want you to stop provoking your sister."

"But Mom—"

"But nothing," she said. "Let Teresa have her fantasy. It's not hurting anything, is it?"

Jamie's mind raced as she stood looking at him, waiting for his answer. How could a lie not hurt anything? When he lied, he got into trouble. When Teresa lied, it was just a fantasy. He burned with the unfairness of it all.

Grudgingly he said, "I guess not." He knew it was the answer she wanted.

Mom reached into her desk and pulled out a brand new notebook. She put it into his hands. Her voice was kinder now as she said, "I'd like you to do something for me. Make up a story—anything you like—and write it down in this. No one will read it unless you want them to."

He frowned. "What for? Isn't school enough?"

"Jamie," she said less than patiently, "this isn't like a school assignment. This is just for fun. I bet you'll enjoy it."

He sighed. "But why can't I just use a Padd?"

"Writing longhand helps unlock creativity," she answered. "Your father wrote an entire book that way and it's selling a lot of copies."

Jamie knew there was no way _his_ story would be a best seller, but he carried the tablet to his room. As he passed Teresa's door, he could hear her quietly talking inside. He stopped and knocked.

"Resa," he called through the door, "want to come out and play?"

The room went silent. She cared more about "Robby" than him. Feeling lonely and confused, he went into his room, opened the notebook cover, and sat staring at the blank sheet of paper. Then he got a pencil and began to write…

 **This Is the Story of My Sister and Our House**

 **My twin sister, Christy, always made up lies that got me in trouble.**

 **"Mom!" said Christy. "John hit me!"**

 **"No, I did not!" I said.**

 **"Stop fighting," said Mom. "You need to help me pack. We're moving."**

 **"Where are we moving?" I asked.**

 **"We're moving to the house on the beach," said Mom.**

 **"You mean that old creepy one?" I asked.**

 **"It's not creepy, it's just old," said Mom.**

 **"Yeah, like three hundred years old," I said.**

 **"So?" said Mom. "Stop talking about it, just help me pack…"**

oooo

As Thanksgiving approached, Jamie could barely hold in his excitement. They were getting together with his sister T'Beth's family over at Uncle Jim's ranch in Idaho. Jamie had not been to the ranch since Aunt Toni had her baby. He used to spend one weekend there at least every month. He loved the rugged mountains and the pine trees and the big log house they lived in. He loved helping Jim with the horses and other ranch chores. Sometimes they went fishing, too. Then Aunt Toni would fry up their catch and they would eat it with coleslaw and hot cornbread.

Thanksgiving Day was cloudy and cool. Jamie rode a speckled horse all alone in the corral. His niece Bethany only wanted to ride double with Teresa, even though Teresa was no fun anymore. Teresa had always been her favorite.

Later, Jamie went inside and the adults all made a fuss over Jim and Toni's baby.

"Tru is a funny name," he said in front of everyone, and his mother gave him a stern look. He tried to fix it by saying, "She doesn't look funny, though. At least not very."

He had only been telling the truth, but Mom gave him an even sterner look.

He was glad when dinnertime came. The smell of roasting turkey made him ravenous. They all sat down to eat, and Aunt Toni gave a blessing. Jamie filled his plate. He even took some cheese enchilada—a family recipe Aunt Toni made especially for Spock, since he didn't eat meat. Everyone started talking about the earthquakes, and Aunt Toni suggested that Jamie's family move to Idaho, near their ranch.

"Yes!" Jamie exclaimed with joy. In an instant, he saw how wonderful it would be. Old man Lemuel—Jim's uncle—could sell them his place, right over the hill. Jamie could get his own horse and ride to Jim's ranch any time he wanted.

T'Beth looked at Teresa and asked if she liked the idea.

Teresa began to act creepy again and said, "We're moving to Arizona."

"What?" Mom asked.

"Robby says," Teresa answered.

Jamie laughed scornfully. "Teresa talks to people in her closet. What a liar."

When Teresa hid behind her hands and started to cry, Jamie knew he was in trouble. Mom looked furious. Then Father got up, caught hold of Jamie's arm, and walked him outside.

On the porch, Jamie said, "Why don't you go after Teresa? She's the one who's lying!"

Father took him into the barn for a long, stern talk. The day was ruined. It was late when they got home, but using a flashlight under the covers of his bed, Jamie wrote in his notebook…

 **We were flying in the skimmer, on our way to the beach house.**

 **"Dad!" said Christy. "John is taking my seat belt off and hitting me!"**

 **"John!" said Dad. "Leave your sister's seat belt on and stop hitting her. When we get to the house you're in big trouble!"**

 **"But I'm not doing that!" I said.**

 **"No buts," said Dad.**

 **For my punishment, Dad made me carry all the heavy things into the house. Then he grounded me for a week. My sister laughed at me the whole time…**

oooo

Teresa never played with Jamie anymore. At school they were even in different classes. At home, she never went out on the beach because she was afraid, but even in the house she acted scared, too. That was what happened to liars, Jamie figured, but he kept his mouth shut about it.

It was a relief when the weekend came and Mom said he could go back to the ranch, as long as he took the notebook and kept writing.

Saturday in Idaho was sunny and pleasant, so Uncle Jim took him riding in the hills. They went over to Lemuel's place and together they helped the old man with some chores. Afterward they rode home and stood side by side, grooming their horses in the barn.

Jamie stopped and said, "Uncle Jim, did you ever have a sister?"

Jim paused and looked at him, a currycomb in his hand. "No. I never had a sister. Just a brother…Sam…and he's gone."

"Gone?"

"He died, Jamie. A long time ago. Now your father is the closest thing I have to a brother."

"Oh." Jamie felt bad for him. "I know you're not really my uncle, but I have your name and…" It was hard to get the words out. "I…I wish I could just stay here. I wish I didn't have to go home."

Jim turned around fully and faced him. "Because of the earthquakes?"

"No…" Jamie felt his throat tightening and glanced down at the dirt floor. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything. "Please don't tell my parents," he begged.

Jim reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," he said kindly, "it's okay. I won't say a word. Now what's the problem?"

Resentment bubbled up and Jamie spoke out. "It's Teresa! She's turned into such a liar. All she does is get me in trouble. You're lucky you never had a sister. Brothers are better."

Jim turned back to his horse, switched to a brush, and continued the grooming. Jamie watched and waited.

As Jim worked, he finally said, "Your father would never put up with lies. Teresa's just using her imagination. Maybe she's making a safe little world for herself where there aren't any earthquakes." He stopped and looked straight at Jamie. "I know you got in trouble on Thanksgiving Day, but that wasn't your sister's fault. You said those cruel things, not her."

Jamie felt his face growing hot. Hurt and embarrassed, he ran out of the barn.

Later, Uncle Jim reproached him for not taking proper care of his horse. Jim said, "The work goes along with the fun. If it happens again, you'll be out of the saddle."

"I'm sorry," Jamie told him, but he didn't really feel sorry at all. He had expected Jim to understand. He had expected Jim to take his side.

Jamie was quiet at dinner. Later the baby was fussy from teething, so he went to his room and spent the evening alone with his notebook…

 **It was time for my teacher conference with my dad. My teacher said me and my dad look the same. The same hair, nose, eyes, and everything else. My teacher said I was an A+ student. While me and my dad were at my conference, Mom and Christy were at Christy's conference. Christy's teacher said that she doesn't pay attention in class, and gets F's and D's on her tests.**

 **That night Mom said, "Get ready for bed, John."**

 **So I went upstairs to the bathroom. I heard footsteps in my sister's room. I took a look. There was a huge creature standing there. It had no eyes on its head. It had sharp teeth and dinosaur-looking feet. It had four arms, with claws six inches long. It had a huge horn on its head, and a long tail with no skin, just skeleton. Wherever you looked it had red slime. It also had heat sensors on its head.**

 **It looked right at me, then charged. It pushed me into the bathroom. Then I locked the door. I prayed to God, then opened the door and looked everywhere upstairs. It was gone.**

 **I didn't go upstairs alone, again…**

oooo

Christmas was coming. Jamie and his mother decorated the tree while Teresa looked on, not lifting a finger to help. Everyone treated her as if she was sick.

When no one was looking, Jamie said to her, "Why don't you tell Mom that you're lying? Why don't you just get it over with?"

Her eyes got wide and wild. "I'm not lying! I'm not! Leave me alone, Jamie!"

And so he just left her alone.

That night, he had not been in bed very long when he heard Teresa's voice hollering downstairs. "We need to leave here! We need to leave now!"

Jamie hopped out of bed and sneaked partway down the stairs, just far enough to see into the living room. Teresa was on Mom's lap, crying hard. Father sat next to them.

"You're sleeping with us tonight," Mom told Teresa. "Tomorrow you're switching rooms with Jamie."

A fierce wave of anger swept over Jamie. _In bed with Mom and Father!_ Even when he was having nightmares, they never took _him_ into their bedroom. And now they were going to give away _his_ room—his very own room—to that little liar!

It was all he could do to keep from shouting out, "I hate you, Teresa! I hate all of you!"

Hurrying back to his bed, he grabbed the notebook…

 **A few weeks later, I told my sister to go upstairs to get me my schoolbag. So she went upstairs. I heard a bloodcurdling scream. My mom and dad ran upstairs. They saw Christy lying on the floor with long scratches all over her.**

 **People came and took her to the hospital. My mom called a priest to look at the house. He didn't find anything wrong, but he blessed it anyway.**

 **My sister came back home. She said she saw a boy named Bobby walking upstairs. She said you could kind of see through him, and kind of not. She said he moved fast. She also said he saw her, then started coming toward her. Then she said he grew claws and tried to scratch her.**

 **That night we all went to sleep. Something woke my sister up. My sister saw her closet open. Then she saw something standing there with a hood on. Then it lifted up its arm with a knife in its hand.**

 **Christy screamed at the top of her lungs. Then the creature took off its hood. The creature let out a huge roar! The creature was a skeleton with chunks of meat on its bones. It had one eye, and bugs were crawling out of its mouth.**

 **Then Mom and Dad ran into the room. The creature disappeared into the closet. Christy told Mom and Dad everything.**

 **Then my mom and dad let her sleep with them…**

oooo

In the morning, Jamie knew what was coming. It was Mom who announced that he was losing his room, but Father was standing there, and so was Teresa.

"No," Jamie said angrily, "I don't want to! It's not fair. I didn't do anything."

Father gave him a stern look. "Do not use that tone with your mother."

Mom said, "We're not doing this to punish you. It's because of—"

"I know!" Jamie interrupted. "It's because of Teresa. I don't want her room. I want mine."

As Jamie struggled to control himself, Father said, "Don't tell me that you are afraid of Teresa's closet."

Jamie glared at his sister. "You two always take her side."

And it was then that he had a bad thought, so really terrible that he knew he would need to tell it to the priest at his next confession. _Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I wished that my sister had died in the Big Quake._ He knew that in order to receive forgiveness, he had to be sorry, but he wondered if deep down in his heart he would ever be truly sorry for that thought.

The day turned out even worse than Jamie had imagined. After school he arrived home with Teresa lagging behind, and found his parents packing everything into boxes.

"What's going on?" he asked uneasily.

Teresa went over, hugged Mom and said, _"Hurry."_

Mom smoothed her hair and kissed it.

"We're moving?" Jamie guessed, and for an instant he started to get excited. Maybe they were moving to Idaho!

"That's right." Mom smiled as if the news would be truly wonderful. Then she said, "We're moving to Arizona."

Jamie scarcely heard the rest of the things she said. He felt sick with disappointment. "Arizona! Why can't we move to Idaho, by Uncle Jim?"

"Starfleet is evacuating the base in San Francisco. Everyone's heading to Phoenix. That's where I'll have to work, as soon as I'm off medical leave."

Jamie couldn't believe it. He gave Teresa a hateful look. "Are you sure it isn't because of her and her silly friend Robby?"

The question got him in trouble, and he ran upstairs. Mom must have started switching their bedrooms because he found most of his things over in Teresa's room, already boxed. As he stared into the empty closet—Teresa's old closet—he felt like kicking a real hole in the floor. After the earthquake destroyed their house, it had been hard moving here, but he had grown to like it. Why did they have to move again? Because of Starfleet? Jamie didn't believe it. There was only one reason why they were moving. Teresa _._ She always got her way.

Fighting tears, Jamie sat on the floor and took the notebook out of his schoolbag. Then he began to write…

 **The next day I was cleaning my room.**

 **Then I heard my sister say, "Mom! John hit me!"**

 **Then my mom said, "John, get down here now!"**

 **Then the lights went out and the house started to shake! Then all the windows broke. Then the door broke straight off the house and flew through the air. Then the wood on the top of the doorjamb turned sharp. Then the bottom of the doorjamb also turned sharp. Then we ran out of the house, with Christy still in it.**

 **Christy started to run…**

oooo

On moving day, Jamie and Teresa stayed home from school. It was almost time for winter break, anyway. Jamie kept to himself, miserable, as bits and pieces of their lives were transported across the country. By afternoon even the Christmas tree was gone, but Jamie had his notebook in the schoolbag slung over his shoulder.

At last they all went outside. Father locked the front door a final time and joined Mom on the beach. Jamie and Teresa sat at opposite ends of the wide porch steps, bundled in jackets, waiting for their turn to go. A cold wind was blowing off the ocean.

"This is all your fault," he said through his teeth.

Teresa got up and walked away.

Jamie watched Mom and Father out near the surf, talking. He saw Spock take her into his arms. Mom looked sad, as if she might even be crying. Jamie felt bad for her. She didn't want to leave, either. But the moment came.

Jamie was not afraid of the transporter. He had traveled that way before, but this time it left him feeling a little dizzy and sick to his stomach. The sight of their rental home made him feel ever sicker. It had only one floor and it looked as if it had been plunked down in the middle of a desert.

Teresa threw out her arms and spun around. "Come on, Jamie," she called, and ran off.

The act was over. Suddenly she looked like the picture of health.

"Well," Jamie shouted after her, "you got what you wanted, didn't you? Go play with Robby!"

Father caught his eye and he went silent. They went into the house. It had not been possible to bring the beach house furniture, so all they had now were boxes. As soon as Jamie found his room, he sat down on the floor and took out his notebook. Tears spilled down his face as he began to write…

 **Christy started to run, but tripped on a sharp piece of wood. Then the doorjamb turned into a mouth and the windows turned into eyes. Then the carpet dragged Christy to the door. Then the doorjamb started to chew her alive! Blood flew everywhere. Then acid filled the house.**

 **Christy was a broken skeleton now.**

 **A huge hole opened in the house! The hole led to hell!**

 **Then Christy's skeleton fell in. Then the hole closed and the house disappeared!**

 **I started laughing. I had the best time ever without my sister! The best life ever! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!**

 **The End (Of Christy)**

oooo

The next day they went around Phoenix and shopped for furniture and other things. That afternoon, Jamie had a bed to sit on as he read over his story. He closed the notebook quickly when Mom walked into the room, limping with her leg brace.

She said, "You haven't been out back once, have you? You haven't seen the chickens or the burro that came with this place. The burro's name is Paco."

"I'm not interested," Jamie said. "I hate it here. It's dried up and ugly. Why couldn't we move by Uncle Jim, instead?"

Mom sighed and sat down on the bed so that her bad leg was sticking straight out. "Jamie, I didn't want to move, either. It's different here, I know, but there are a lot of nice things about Arizona."

"No there isn't," Jamie said stubbornly.

Mom looked at him, her blue eyes gentle. "Have you noticed how quiet it is? No earthquakes. They used to scare me."

"Me, too," Jamie grudgingly admitted, "but I just want to go home."

Mom put her arms around him.

After she left, there was a tapping at Jamie's window. He went over and opened it. Teresa stood outside with the burro.

"Jamie," she pleaded, "won't you come play?"

"No," he snapped. "Not with you."

Her eyes glistened with tears. "I wish you'd stop being mad at me."

"I hate this place," he told her. _"You_ did it. _You_ made them move."

"But it's better here, Jamie."

"No, it isn't."

Teresa wiped away a tear. "Jamie…"

"What!"

"I…I didn't make them move. I didn't."

"Yes, you did." At that he shut the window and went back to reading his story.

oooo

Sunday morning, before Church, Mom noticed the gift under the Christmas tree.

"Teresa," she called out, "it's for you—from Jamie!"

The happiness in her voice made Jamie feel guilty. Late last night he had wrapped the notebook as a present. The surprise for Teresa was not meant to be a good one. It would bring him more trouble, but he didn't care. This Christmas was going to be miserable, anyway.

Mom left early for their first Mass at St. Luke's, and walked Jamie and Teresa around the school they would be attending when Christmas break ended. They peered through the windows of the buildings and saw the desks inside. Teresa seemed excited. Jamie had not really liked the public school near the beach house. This would be better, but still not as nice as the one they attended in San Francisco. He remembered his last Sunday at St. Bridget Church before the earthquake. He had talked with Teresa about becoming altar servers, but now there was nothing left of that parish. Even the rubble had been hauled away.

At Mass, Jamie asked God to make him happy again, but when he received Communion his heart felt as heavy and cold as ever.

They sat for the announcements. Jamie never listened much to those; he was always eager to get out of Church and run around. But suddenly the person at the podium was interrupted. Jamie looked up.

A man in a suit said, "There is an important news bulletin. Due to geological instability, the North American Union has ordered large-scale evacuations in the following states and province: Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and the Californias. As of nine o'clock this morning, a disaster plan is in effect."

Jamie felt his mother's arm go around him. Everyone started talking. Some people were getting up and leaving the church.

The priest led them in prayer, then they began to sing "Be Not Afraid". Jamie looked up at his mother. There were tears running down her face. The sight added to his fear, but there was another feeling, a new sense of tenderness toward his mother that made him want to protect her. He slipped his hand into hers and hoped it gave her some comfort.

As they left the church, he listened to people talking. Mom wouldn't answer his questions. She wanted it quiet in the car, but as soon as they got back to the house, Jamie burst through the door, shouting out the news.

Father was at the phone. He ended the call and turned to them, his face very serious.

"Yes, I have heard," he said.

Teresa put her arms around him and said, "Daddy, we're safe here."

"Father, is it true?" Jamie asked. "Are we really safe?" He had heard people at church saying that the whole West Coast was going to fall into the ocean, saying there had been a tsunami—a tidal wave!

"We are really safe," Father answered, "so safe that T'Beth and her family will be joining us for a time. That is the good news." After a pause, he said, "There has been another severe earthquake in California, and this time there was a tsunami. I checked the satellite images. The beach house is gone."

 _Gone!_ Jamie spent the rest of the day locked in his thoughts. Teresa didn't ask him to play. Maybe she had given up asking. From his window, he watched her brushing Paco's wooly brown coat. Then she climbed on the little burro and rode past some orange trees, out of sight.

He thought of Uncle Jim and Aunt Toni on their ranch in Idaho. Father said it would be safe there from the earthquakes and volcanoes. But the house on the beach had fallen apart, just like it did in Jamie's story. The pieces had washed into the ocean. Mom said it was a good thing they had moved when they did. They were lucky to be alive. But as she said it, her eyes were dull and sad.

That night, Jamie heard her crying in her bedroom. The sound made his heart ache. He was sorry now for the way he had been acting. Maybe Teresa had not really been lying, after all. Maybe she had sensed the danger, the way Mom sometimes did—sensed it so hard that for a while it had made her sick and strange. Here in Arizona, Teresa was acting like her old self. It was getting harder for Jamie to stay angry at her.

oooo

Jamie slept late the next morning. When he got up, everyone had already eaten breakfast. Mom was downtown with Teresa. Father sat in the living room with another Vulcan. It was young Sobek from California.

Startled, Jamie mumbled a "Good morning" and went into the kitchen. He was eating the last of his cereal when Father came in alone and took his jacket from a hook near the back door.

Putting it on, he said, "James, get your coat and come outside with me. There are some matters we need to discuss."

Jamie felt a guilty stirring of fear, but did as he was told. They went out through a patio where weird cactus-like plants were growing in big pots, then Father took him on a slow walk through the "back acre". For the first time Jamie saw the orange trees close-up, and the chickens, and Paco's shed beside a little dirt corral. The burro heard them coming and pushed his nose between the boards of his fence.

Father stopped there. "James," he said, "I know how fond you are of helping Jim Kirk at his ranch. Now that we have some livestock of our own, it will be your job—and Teresa's—to care for this burro, as well as the chickens."

Jamie looked at the scruffy little burro. Paco was nothing like Uncle Jim's noble appaloosas, but something in Paco's large brown eyes touched Jamie's heart. Reaching out, he fingered the burro's velvety nose.

"Okay," he agreed. "Is that all?"

"No," Father said. "Your sister T'Beth and her family will be arriving tomorrow. Your mother is taking you and Teresa to the Christmas Eve Mass, and T'Beth wants to take Bethany along. Aaron will not be going to church tomorrow, or at any time during their stay with us."

"Oh," Jamie said, wondering why.

"I am telling you this so you don't act surprised or ask questions that might make your Uncle Aaron uncomfortable."

Aaron Pascal had not been Jamie's uncle very long, and it still seemed a bit strange to him. Jamie looked up at Spock. "Doesn't he believe in God?"

Father took a moment to answer. "I cannot speak for Aaron. Only he knows what is in his heart. As for you, keep a respectful silence—and not only toward your uncle. I expect you also to refrain from tormenting Teresa."

Jamie hung his head and said, "Yes, sir."

At least Father had not mentioned anything about giving up his room for T'Beth's family. This new house was small compared to the others they had lived in, but there was still an extra bedroom for company.

They started back, and Jamie thought his father was finished with him. But suddenly Spock said, "Come here," and led Jamie over to the colorful donkey cart.

They sat together on the seat, so near that their bodies were touching. Jamie realized it was the closest he had been to his father since the day of the Big Quake.

Father gazed out across the property, toward the orange trees growing beside the house. He said, "You saw that Sobek is here."

Jamie tilted his head sideways and looked up at him.

Father turned and met his eyes. "Sobek's father was killed in the tsunami. It may be that his family on Vulcan will not want him…because in the past he has shown Yanashite leanings."

Jamie's mouth came open, but Father's words were so terrible, he hardly know what to say. "His father's dead? And his family…might not _want_ him? Because of his religion?" Then he remembered about his own Vulcan grandfather, Sarek, who no longer came around since Spock became a Yanashite. And he said, "Poor Sobek."

"Yes." Father put a hand on his leg. "We cannot leave the boy on his own, can we? For now, he'll be staying with us."

They sat quietly, side by side. It felt so good to be this close. And the more Jamie thought about Sobek's situation, the more his conscience nudged him.

Finally he said, "Sobek can stay with me…in my room."

Once more Father looked at him, an eyebrow raised high. "That is most kind, James. But when your brother Simon comes home from Juilliard today, it will mean three of you."

"That's okay," Jamie said. And he surprised himself by smiling.

Later that day a pair of airbeds found their way into Jamie's room. At bedtime there would be just enough floor space for everyone to sleep. Sobek seemed strange and distant, especially toward Simon, but welcoming him made Jamie feel good. It made him think more than ever about how much his own family meant to him—even Teresa. He knew now that he couldn't give her the mean story he had written, but she had already seen the gift—everyone had. There was no way to take it back without hurting her feelings.

All day Jamie struggled with the problem and when night came, he knew what he had to do. For a long time he lay in bed holding a flashlight and pencil, forcing his eyes to stay open until he was sure that everyone was asleep. Then very quietly he got up and tiptoed past Sobek, into the living room. There he turned on his flashlight, reached under the Christmas tree, and sneaked out Teresa's present. Carefully he undid the seal-tab wrapping paper and set it aside. For a moment he just sat looking at the notebook. Then he tore out the pages of his old story, put his pencil to a blank sheet, and began to write.

oooo

Morning came. Despite his late night project, Jamie awoke before the others in his room. Excited, he nudged Simon until his brother opened his eyes.

"Come on," he urged. "It's Christmas!"

Simon hit him with a pillow. Jamie fell on top of Sobek, and then Jamie and Simon were wrestling. Sobek got out of the way and watched with angry eyes while Simon easily pinned Jamie and began to tickle him.

"Stop!" Jamie said, trying hard not to laugh.

Sobek tore Simon's hands off of Jamie and shoved him away. Simon seemed unhurt, but the two teenagers glared at one another as if there might be a fight.

Quickly Jamie said, "Sobek, we were only fooling around. We were just _playing."_

Jamie had thought that Sobek and Simon got along well together. In the past he had seen Sobek smile at Simon's jokes, and once they even went to a Yankee game in New York, where Simon attended school. But since arriving at the house, Sobek had not smiled even once. Father said it was because he was grieving hard.

Jamie left them and went out to the living room in his pajamas. Teresa and Bethany were already at the Christmas tree. Someone had turned on music. The house smelled like coffee and cocoa.

From the kitchen, T'Beth said, "Merry Christmas, Jamie!"

Uncle Aaron came out into the room. Next, Mom showed up. Jamie waited impatiently, but he was not thinking of any present with his own name on it. He was thinking of the surprise he had made for Teresa.

Father walked in fully dressed, then Simon and Sobek came together. But they still did not look very friendly.

"Now?" Bethany asked.

"Go ahead," Mom said, "everyone's here."

Bethany began tearing into her presents. Jamie watched Teresa as she reached down carefully and picked out the one gift from him. Before opening it, she handed him a little golden box tied with a red ribbon. Jamie started to unfasten the ribbon.

"No, Jamie," she said. "Don't open the box—ever. Just keep it always. You see…it's full of something special. It's full of love."

The box seemed to grow heavier as Jamie held it. The gold-colored paper gleamed like precious metal and the shiny ribbon was as red as rubies.

Finally he said, "Go ahead…open mine."

He watched her peel off the wrapping paper, and then the notebook was in her hands.

"It's a story," he said. "I wrote it for you. Go ahead, Resa, look inside."

Teresa opened the cover and read the title to herself. Her eyes brightened and a big smile came over her face. She said, "The title is 'My Sister, My Friend'." There were tears in her eyes as she looked at him. "Oh, Jamie—thank you! Thank you!"

And at that moment Jamie realized that his prayers had been answered. God really had made him happy again.

oooOOooo


End file.
